


Crushing Blows

by Okami01



Series: Felix Rarepair Week 2021 [2]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crushes, Fantasizing, Felix Hugo Fraldarius is Bad at Feelings, M/M, Pining, Pre-Time Skip, Swordfighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29032677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Okami01/pseuds/Okami01
Summary: Fighting should only ever make you feel three emotions. Joy when you win, sorrow when you lose and satisfaction when learn something new from it all. When Felix fights Claude Von Riegan, it brings about new emotions.For Felix Rarepair- Pining
Relationships: Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Claude von Riegan
Series: Felix Rarepair Week 2021 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128200
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	Crushing Blows

The Monastery was filled with talented swordsmen and women. Felix had resolved to fight as many of them as he could. 

He didn't want to rely on the boar that much. So fighting him could only happen once a week at most. Sylvain lazed about most times. And whenever he fought Ingrid, win or lose, she's always trying to drag him back to some sort of war tactics class or make him do work that doesn't have anything to do with sword fighting. 

Professor Byleth is a welcome change of pace. Though he can't ever seem to beat him and the whole thing reminds him of Glenn more than he'd like to admit. 

Felix vows to practice more. He challenges whoever he can. 

He thinks that things will continue on like that for the rest of the semester. 

The leader of the Black Eagle uses an axe. Her dark-cloaked lackey uses dark magic. 

That's of no interest to Felix. 

That pink-haired girl who follows the leader of the Golden Deer uses an axe. 

The leader of the Golden Deer uses a bow. Practically in a way, to dispatch your enemies from afar. Felix prefers the sword. What happens if your enemies come close is too unpredictable with a bow in hand. You'd have to rely on your comrades in arms more. Something else Felix doesn't want.

He'd rather rely on his blade than someone else. 

Fighting becomes easier as he learns more. Maybe there was some good to come to Garreg Mach after all.

The first annual sword-fighting tournament starts. He enters, of course.

There are the usual people there. 

He wins. Two matches in a row. But the whole thing is getting progressively harder.

The next opponent comes out. Leader of the Golden Deer. Bow guy.

Felix blinks a few times. But he doesn't falter  
You should never underestimate your opponents. Because Claude must be good if he made it this far. 

" Hiya. So you're Felix, huh?"

Claude smiles and waves with his free hand. Gets closer. His green eyes glint in the sun. 

Felix isn't sure what to make of it exactly but the sooner they exchange pleasantries the sooner they can fight. 

" Yes. I thought that you used bows."

Felix racks his brain and he thinks he's seen Claude with an axe before. The Golden Deer are supposedly people who mainly use bows. Felix still can't imagine fighting like that.

" Oh yeah, that's me. But I like to be full of surprises you know?"

" Surprises won't necessarily win you anything."

Claude laughs. Felix doesn't see what's funny about it. He shrugs. 

"Heh, I guess I can see your point. Really I think, I just like to win, for the prizes and stuff."  
He moves his hand over the hilt and twists the blade once, then another time.

" Hmm well anyway good luck."

" Same to you." 

Felix takes a step backward, Claude does as well

The bell rings. 

Felix watches for a moment, somewhat unsure how to proceed. 

Claude throws his sword from one hand to the other and lunges forward. 

Felix barely manages to parry before Claude strikes at him again. 

It's a blur mostly. Because whatever praise Felix has heard people give Claude over his skills with a bow clearly translate to his skills with swords. 

He's fast and surprisingly strong. But he'd have to be for an axe wielder. 

While Claude may want to win for prices or whatever Felix just wants to win.

He doesn't intend to lose to someone whose specialty isn't even close-range combat.

He strikes back and Claude counters. Tries to watch Claude's movements closely. His green-eyed gleaming and sharp in the sunlight. He smiles.

Felix's crest activates in his strike. Which is annoying to rely on such strength but if it's there he might as well use it. He jabs Claude in the side twice. 

Claude groans and Felix swings again, thinking this will be it. 

The familiar blue light of crest activation glows in the air. Only it's Claudes. 

He twists his sword to the side in a motion that looks a lot like axe wielding and strikes Felix in the shoulder then again in the stomach. 

Felix feels the impact of the wooden blade just as surely as he feels the tang of defeat.

He hears the bell, just barely over the blood in his head. 

" You almost had me there," Claude says, panting a little bit. Sword at his side.

When he struck Felix in the side he'd looked serious, all business. Now the ghost of a smile plays at his face again. He looks down at him and holds out his hand. 

He knows he almost had him. But he doesn't want Claude's pity.

" Almost isn't good enough."

Felix can get up by himself. He takes Claude's hand anyway. No need to come across a sore loser. Claude one fairly, as much as Felix wanted to win. 

" You did a good job too… obviously." he manages not to grumble. 

Claude's hand is warm. His breathing is more controlled.

Felix pulls away. Claude starts to talk. 

" Thanks. Same to you! I do mean that, you know. You Blue Lions swords people are strong "

" There's no need for flattery." Or lumping Felix in with the rest of his house or his lineage or whatever else people always do.

Claude looks at him. Almost like he's studying Felix behind his careful smile and gleaming eyes. 

He scratches his chin and Felix almost shouts, " out with it." Before he changes his mind. 

" Ahh alright well, maybe we'll meet again sometime."

" Perhaps." The thought of fighting Claude again is enticing. Felix will have to get better so that he can beat him too. " If you're not too busy with your bows."

" Do you not like archery?" Claude is staring at him again. It seems like he does that a lot. Felix looks at Claude's sword, still twisting in his hands. 

" I like swords."

" I can see that." Claude smiles.

The people milling about on the sides of the area are starting to get closer. 

Dimitri's there. He must have won his match.

Felix doesn't know what's more annoying. Losing to Claude, not getting to beat Dimitri or the fact that Dimitri won and he lost. 

In any case, he knows he doesn't want to think about it here. 

Good luck, Felix almost says. But luck shouldn't be the defining factor in a win. He doesn't need to announce that he'll stay and watch Claude's match. 

But he knows he will.

Disappointingly, Claude loses to Dimitri.

___

Felix lays in bed for a while. He sleeps and while his dreams aren't always good at least they aren't usually about other people. Except for Glenn sometimes or his father or the boar. 

He's never had a dream about someone else he knows before.  
He's never had a dream about Claude before.  
But that's what happens. And he wakes up startled and sweaty and annoyed. 

" Ridiculous," Felix mutters to himself. As jumps out of bed and starts to get dressed.

He wanted to win sure but there's no reason for such embarrassing base desires creeping in his dreams. 

Felix decides to seek Claude out again. To fight. Not for any other reason. 

Only halfway to the Golden Deer Classroom, he realizes that it's been hardly any time since their first fight. What exactly is he hoping to achieve? Perhaps that he has a better idea of Claude's fighting style he might be able to tip the scales in his favor.

Felix doesn't want to just maybe win. He wants to definitely win. So he heads towards the training grounds instead. 

He spends more time like that. Training. Sparing, eating. Time continues to pass.

The next mock battle is soon approaching. That has him more excited than almost anything. Their class will have to win that.

But it's not until next month and Felix thinks he can beat Claude now.  
He goes by the Golden Deer Classroom and sees a bunch of people he doesn't recognize. Not Claude. Not that he's disappointed. Figures he'll try the archery range. 

Claude is there. Sweaty. Holding a bow and shooting something. One of his eyes closes and Felix sees the see in his jaw as he fires. Let's go of the string or whatever. All dexterity and focus. 

Felix stares. Just trying to understand the basis behind archery. No other dream related reasons. 

Should he leave? Probably. Claude's doing his archery thing and there's no reason for Felix to stand there and watch him. 

He turns to move away when he hears his name being called. By Claude of all people. 

Felix freezes but there's no way he's going to run away. 

He turns back and Claude is staring at him, his eyes focused like they were when he was shooting.  
His bow is slung over his shoulder now. He's walking towards Felix, waving with his free hand. As if Felix has cotton in his ears and he can't hear or something. 

So he walks over as well and meets him by those little circle target things.

" Do you need something?" Felix asks.

Claude looks like he's about to laugh. He's smiling. For some reason. Felix doesn't know why or what's so funny in any case. 

" Hello to you too, Felix."

Felix shrugs. It's too late to say hello now. Or to run away. Not that he would. Or like he actually wants to. 

Claude's talking again anyway. " You came here so I should probably be asking you. Didja want to learn how to shoot?"

Is Claude offering? It shouldn't make a difference. 

When you show someone the proper fighting stance you have to get close to them and-

" I already know how to shoot." 

He stares at Claude's hand, twirling around an arrow slowly. He's like a different person when he fights. 

Felix isn't sure what he's supposed to make of that. But he thinks he wants to get to the bottom of it. 

" You're good at it." He says. Sort of regrets. Felix doesn't know how much shooting in a straight line constitutes 'good'. If he were to slash a training dummy's head off that might be good but it wouldn't be that good in his option. 

Still, he thinks Claude looks good. His form. In archery. 

Either way, he's said the words. Claude keeps smiling. Then he says. "Well thanks! Hoping to scout before the mock battle?"

" No." Felix says. Though he wonders if  
Claude's suggesting it because it's something he would do or because he thinks it's something Felix would do. Interestingly, Claude doesn't seem as noble and rigid as some of the other people around his rank.  
If the other nobles were more like Claude… maybe Felix wouldn't be so annoyed with them all the time. 

" I don't need to do that. I could take you. In a sword fight." He clarifies. 

Claude doesn't look phased by that at all. He raises and lowers his eyebrows and hums, though not in agreement. He licks his lips. Felix is drawn to the movement. He wants to know what Claude's thinking but it probably isn't anything. Even if it were, what is he supposed to ask? 

"We'll see about it then." Claude says, breaking Felix from his increasingly ridiculous thoughts. "Though I'd say it's more than just you or I fighting."

" Right, then you ought to bring your friends."

"Heh, Good luck to you too. See ya around, Felix."

Felix turns and leaves. Only when he's halfway back to the dining hall does he realize he didn't even get to ask Claude to spar.

He sighs. Almost wanting to go back. But there are other people he can spar with. And Claude was all sweaty and stuff, his shirt clinging to his chest. Which means that he must be tired. Felix didn't notice for any other reason. If Felix wants to win... he wants to really win. Without any handicaps. With no hesitation or inappropriate thoughts. 

He reaches the dining hall, hoping to eat quickly and leave. 

Why on earth Sylvain has to be on his way to the dining hall, he has no idea.

" Hey, Felix." Sylvain calls.

Felix is really trapped.

But eating with Sylvain is fine. Felix sits down and shoves a piece of meat in his mouth. Until, out of nowhere, completely causally with his arms stretched leaning back,

Sylvain says, " so who are you dating?"

Felix almost chokes. He thinks it might be better this way. But its a stupid way to die and an even more stupid question. 

" What are you talking about?" He looks startled before remembering he can potentially glare Sylvain into not talking to him.

That doesn't work. 

" Oh, see you're blushing."

" I'm angry."

" Now you're talking about your feelings, at least. That's good."

" Sylvain. I'm not dating anyone."

"Do you want to be dating someone?" 

" No." Felix says immediately. Even though, stupidly, he starts to think of Claude. 

" Felix. Listen." Sylvain starts. Annoying seriousness replaces annoying teasing.

"I know I don't tell you this often, because it's really a good thing. You barely say anything and you're always trying to fight people so it's good to know what you're thinking. You aren't a good liar. Or it's that you've never been a good liar or… I'm just that good at reading you."

Felix glares at him. There's so much to unpack there. He isn't easy to read. But Sylvain is smiling and eating some vegetables like it's just a fact of life. 

" What are you even talking about? Maybe you just think you know. Dated enough girls that you have to imagine other people… dating now."

Sylvain laughs. " No I just know when people are in love."

Felix continues to glare to no avail. 

" Okay, like? Maybe? Something happened."

" Nothing happened. Drop it."

" Heh, well if you ever want dating advice you know where to turn."

Felix waits, until Sylvain stops asking him questions and gets back to eating. 

He waits until they're both done. Then stands up and says, " Now come on. We're going to spar."

__

Sylvain tries again to ask Felix about his nonexistent love life while Felix hits him with a practice sword. 

But it's fine. He doesn't want to have a love life or anything stupid like the dream he had about Claude. 

Felix just needs to study the blade and it'll be fine. 

__

Before he knows it, it's the day of the mock battle. 

The professor is saying something about strategizing. Felix sort of pays attention, as long he can fight he'll be satisfied. 

Then Seteth is rambling on over the historical significance of the battle of the Eagle and Lion.

Which makes no sense. Leicester wasn't actually there at the time so it's not all that historical. Just a big fight pretending to honor people who aren't even alive. 

You shouldn't need a stupid excuse like that to fight.

So in many ways, he's glad the Golden Deer are there. Hopes they win. 

Scratch that, the Blue Lions have to win. 

Felix halfway listens to the boar talking about fighting together. 

Then finally, they can fight. 

The battle goes on. More of a full-scale thing. They aren't killing each other of course but Felix takes care to avoid the force of his classmates and adversities weapons. 

Claude is there up on the hill. He's a wyvern rider now apparently. Too far away for Felix too. do anything about. He swears he sees Claude wink at him. 

He's shooting arrows left and right. 

Ashe rises from a bush and attempts to shoot.

Felix is fighting some Black Eagle girl he can't remember the name of. 

In the corner of his eye he sees Claude roll off his wyvern and to the ground, running and shooting as naturally as he flew. 

Felix hopes he'll use his sword.

Ashe shoots back and it occurs to Felix that he shouldn't get distracted like that. 

He lunges forward and disappointedly, the leader of the Black Eagles comes and attacking with her axe. Claude uses his sword then. Parrying and striking at Edelgard with a slight smile on his face.

Felix jumps back. The black eagles swordswoman trying to fight him again. 

After a long fight, dodging a mages fire spell and moving up the hill. Panting and fighting under the blue and slowly darkening sky. Felix manages to knock the sword out of her hands. 

Somehow, Dimitri and the professor manage to win. 

Felix is more exhausted then he'd like to admit but they won and really that's all that matters. 

" We should have a celebration," he hears Claude say to Dimitri, Edelgard and the professor. 

Felix thinks that it's ridiculous but there's bond to be meat there so he'll go. 

__

There's nothing wrong with going to eat. Or talking to people outside of your house. It doesn't mean he has a crush on anyone. 

He shoves a piece of meat into his mouth, swallows shakier than he'd like. Moves to get up from the table.

" Ooh," Sylvain loudly whispers into Felix's ear, distracting him from his thoughts. 

" You're blushing, Fe. Are you going to ask out your crush to dance?"

Felix considers pushing Sylvain over. 

" I ate something spicy."

"Hah, well if you ever need any tips on eating spicy things I'm here to help."

" Shut up, Sylvain. " And he wishes, once again that he didn't start thinking inappropriate things about Claude.

" You can do it," Sylvain encourages.

He shouldn't even go over there. But he knows he can do it. He's not sure what he's going to do actually. It's too late to go back. 

Felix matches over to where Claude is. Loses a lot of the confidence fueled by annoyance. 

" Claude," he says. 

Claude turns and smiles in his direction. " Hmm, oh hi Felix."

He thinks about dancing. Felix doesn't actually want to dance. He's standing there and Claude is waiting for him to say something so Felix blurts out,

" Would you like to spar?"

" I would… maybe not right this second… my muscles are killing me."

Felix thinks back to seconds ago when Claude wasn't mentioning his muscles and Felix wasn't thinking about them. 

Claude once again, jogs him from his thoughts.  
" The day after tomorrow?" 

" Yes, that's fine."

" And Felix… you know… Our rooms are next to each other? You can always stop by."

There's nothing weird about that either. Only that Felix already knew their rooms were close together. Acutely aware. Not… in a stalkery way… Just a,' the guy that I might like is right next door' way.

Still, Claude telling him to come over is new. 

" Yeah, okay."

He turns around, involuntary blush creeping over his face. 

" Good job, Felix," whispers Sylvain.

Felix decides not to push him out of his chair and gets back to eating.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Felix Rarepair Week! Thanks for reading!
> 
> I just feel like Felix would be really awkward at having a crush. So it could be a few more times before he can actually ask Claude on a date but... that sword fighting is practically dating anyway lol
> 
> Technically a sequel or at least loosely inspired by this explicit fic I wrote of Felix fantasizing about Claude  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/25656736
> 
> @Tavitay on Twitter!


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